Particulate material, such as wood chips or coal, is often transported in open bulk containers such as railroad cars, trucks and truck trailers. While in motion, significant amounts of particulate material is blown from these open containers. Even when the containers are not in motion, high winds can have the same effect. It is desirable to control this dispersion of the particulate material, including dust and fines, for two reasons. First, significant savings in material could be attained if a cost effective method could be found to prevent or reduce losses of particulate material from open transport containers. Second, many jurisdictions require the control of dust and particulate emissions for environmental or safety reasons.
It is currently the practice to cover open transport containers filled with wood chips, for example, with a net to reduce losses during transport. A primary end use of wood chips transported in bulk is the manufacture of wood pulp. The nets, which are costly, tend to break apart after only a few trips and net pieces entrained in the wood chips have a deleterious effect on the chip handling process. Placing the nets over open transport containers is also time consuming and labor costs are, therefore, high.
Binding particulate material transported in open bulk containers also has been suggested. Many of the binders, however, are expensive petroleum based products such as asphalt, tars, waxes or synthetic polymers. It would be desirable to use a less expensive and renewable resource to provide binders for particulate materials. Furthermore, wood chips used in the pulp industry cannot be bound by petroleum based products because these products are incompatible with pulp manufacturing processes. Even with nonpetroleum based biners, costs are generally too high or the effect too deleterious on pulping to provide a practical alternative to nets.
It would be desirable, therefore, to develop a binder to protect particulate material in transit that is inexpensive, derived from a renewable resource, weather resistant and compatable with wood chips destined for use in the pulping industry.